Visiting Warsaw during the Pandemic | Summer 2021
Warsaw Breweries Reborn Kapitalny! A capital experience at Browary Warszawskie.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last summer was one of the most difficult in memory, and similar anxieties still haunt summer 2021 as we cautiously try to return to the pre-pandemic norms we’ve sorely missed. Although Poland has endured the same scary infection rates and societal lockdowns as much of the globe over the past 18 months, one positive has been that major urban development projects have continued with only minor delays, if any, during that time. Much like its residents, Warsaw needed a shot in the arm to bring this summer some energy and excitement, and that’s just what we got with the recent opening of the Browary Warszawskie (Warsaw Breweries) complex. With plenty planned for catching the summertime buzz we all crave, the rebirth of the Warsaw Breweries is giving us all cause to celebrate, and the perfect place to do it.
150+ years of history Originally built in 1846 as the ‘Haberbusch & Schiele Brewery,’ this brewing complex was soon the largest in the Kingdom of Poland and famous across Europe. Devastated during WWII, the brewery continued operating during the period of communist nationalisation that followed, but struggled to succeed. Fun fact from those dreary times: Coca-Cola was actually bottled here under American license in the 1970s. The post-communist era saw the ownership of the complex change hands a few times as its economic viability was tested, but ultimately it shut down in 2004. 14
A flagship for urban renewal The huge 4.5-hectare area was derelict and forgotten when it was purchased by Echo Investment in 2004 with the aim of bringing this once-proud property back into prominence as a vibrant urban space at the centre of the city’s cultural life. After seven years of planning and development, the area is now welcoming guests to discover how the space has been beautifully transformed into today’s modern Warsaw Breweries by mixing bold new architecture with restored historical buildings, post-industrial design with green public spaces, and commercial areas with residential ones. Specifically, the area features several revitalised buildings belonging to its past as a brewery: the Malthouse, Fabricant’s Villa, Research Laboratory and Beer Cellars. As for the modern, the development includes five new residential buildings and three office buildings. Between them you’ll find five public squares: the Malthouse Market, featuring a fountain; Brewery Gate Square, welcoming guests from ul. Grzybowska; the large Central Garden above the beer cellars; the quiet Laboratory Courtyard; and the Breakfast Square tucked off ul. Krochmalna. As part of the project a new street was also developed and named by local residents: ul. Haberbusch & Schiele is the capital’s first ‘woonerf’ or ‘living street’ - a Scandinavian urban planning solution that puts the needs of local residents as top priority to increase the quality of city life.
